7 Cocktails That Give Tea Time an Exciting New Meaning

The days of tea bags bobbing lazily in hot water are about to be behind you. Those humble little pouches are ready to prove their cocktail prowess by infusing spirits and syrups with fruity, floral and herbal flavors.

Craving the warmth of chai? Double down on the spice and lace your favorite rye with loose chai. Can’t get enough chamomile? Brew a soothing tea-based simple syrup and top it with tequila. Tea time isn’t just for teetotalers.

Spice twins chai and rye play off each other’s strengths in this dark and brooding ’tail. Their union begins in the bottle with loose chai infusing the rye with notes of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Shaken with muddled cherry and honey syrup, the final red-faced cocktail skirts the line of sweet and spicy. Get the recipe.

Matcha mania continues in the cocktail glass, this time in the form of a green-tinged gin Martini bearing matcha-infused dry vermouth. The second plot twist arrives with a scant slip of Salers, the French apéritif made with gentian root and white wine, followed by a lone drop of Creole bitters. Get the recipe.

Summon cherry blossom season year-round with this aromatic cocktail’s blend of cassis and rooibos tea leaves. The blackcurrant notes of the tea meld sweetly with the trifecta of cherry vodka, Cherry Heering and Amarena cherry syrup to channel the full swell of the season. Get the recipe.

Proving that tea bags can do more than float, this cocktail invokes chamomile’s full potential with a homemade chamomile simple syrup. The result? A surprisingly soothing Sour made with blanco tequila and an abundance of lime juice. Get the recipe.

Green tea never looked so good. Shaken with the flesh of three passion fruits, whiskey and honey, the antioxidant-rich tea transforms into a tempting golden elixir—for days when your health tonic goes a-tippling. Get the recipe.